A songbook of progressive/protest music for the twenty-first century. Dozens of anthems from 1970 to the present, from around the world, all with an essential "hook" that makes them ideal for progressive mobilizations and celebrations.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

"Gimme Tha Power" - Molotov

The Mexican band Molotov is best known for raunchy rap-rock, and there was no shortage of it on their 1997 album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas? (The title was a play on the title of a record by the group all Mexican grandmothers like, Maná, which translates as "Where will the little children play?" Molotov countered with: "Where will the little girls play?", with a suitably salacious album cover.) But amidst blasts of their usual heavier fare was this jewel, one of the most popular and potent protest songs in recent Latin American history. Against a lugubrious, even mournful musical backdrop, the Molotov crew launched their no-holds-barred, occasionally obscene denunciation of corruption and political enervation in their homeland of Mexico.

Spanish lyrics can be found here. A good English translation is hard to find online, but there's one on YouTube, running as subtitles on the official video. A transcription follows, with some minor adjustments; best to let the song speak for itself:

The police are extorting you (money)

But they live on what you pay

And if they treat you like a delinquent (thief)

It's not your fault, thank the ones in charge.

That could uproot the problem

And change our country's government

The bureaucrats

The people who like the crumbs

That's why I complain and complain

Because here is where I live, I'm no longer an asshole

You don't see the government jobs

There are people who are getting richer

People who live in poverty

Nobody does anything because nobody's interested

The people above you hate you,

More people who want their heads.

If you give power to power they'll come after you harder

Because we were a world power

We're poor, they treat us badly.

Gimme gimme gimme gimme all the power

So we can hit your mother

Gimme gimme gimme all the power

So I can come around to fuck with you

Gimme gimme gimme gimme all the power

That's it, you fucker, fuck you slimy fucker

Because we're not born where there's nothing to eat

There's no need to ask ourselves how we're going to do it

If they say we're got no balls, yes we have -- long live Mexico, you bastards!

Let the Mexican power be felt, let it be felt

All together like brothers, because we are more

All together like brothers, because we're following lazy assholes

Who take us wherever they want, and it's our sweat that keeps them there

It keeps them there eating hot bread, that bread is our people's bread.

Gimme gimme gimme gimme all the power

So we can hit your mother

Gimme gimme gimme all the power

So I can come around to fuck with you

The people united will never be defeated

The people united will never be defeated

Gimme gimme gimme gimme all the power

Despite its proudly Mexican perspective (“¡Viva México, cabrones!”), "Gimme Tha Power" spread rapidly across Latin America as a generalized anthem of youthful rebellion -- I first heard it in Argentina, at the other end of the hemisphere. Its scabrous tone, frat-boy obscenities, and healthy contempt for corrupt and parasitic elites fit well with the generally anti-establishment mood that brought a generally leftist contingent of leaders to power in Latin America in the 1990s and 2000s. As that critique has spread worldwide, perhaps the chorus of "Gimme Tha Power" -- bilingual to begin with -- will hold some appeal for non-Spanish-speaking protesters and occupiers. The slow yet steady beat is also a great rhythm for a resolute, implacably advancing movement.

Adam Jones, Ph.D.

We need new anthems. "We Shall Overcome" and "If I Had a Hammer" and "Give Peace a Chance" all had their moment, but they now sound dated and even clichéd. This blog proposes a new songbook (see list below) -- with selections from 1970 to the present -- for the activists of the twenty-first century. To qualify as anthems, these tracks must (a) be broadly positive/ progressive in content; (b) have an essential and substantial "hook" (a line, a verse, a chorus) that could realistically be sung by many progressive people at once, whether for protest or celebration; (c) reflect the ever more globalized world of activism, which means I'm always on the lookout for diverse materials from the Global South; and (d) be appealing to me personally, or why would I be doing this? I'll be blogging over fifty of my own proposals, and I welcome suggestions for further entries. You can share your comments at the end of each entry, and email me with your feedback. Please also let me know if you find any broken links. Now -- let's raise our voices! Adam

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